1. Field of Use
The present invention relates to diagnostic testing and more particularly to apparatus for facilitating the location of a source of faults within a storage controller of a data processing system.
2. Prior Art
In general, numerous methods and techniques have been employed for performing computer maintenance. The main motivation for increased automation in this area is to minimize system down time so as to maximize the system's availability to the user or customer.
In many instances, the system down time is a function of the number and types of maintenance aids available to maintenance personnel. In the past, these aids normally included special maintenance switches and indicators which enable maintenance personnel to manually troubleshoot the computer system. It has been found that the results of manual diagnosis of faults vary very significantly because of dependence upon the ability and knowledge level of the maintenance personnel.
Due to the steady increase in complexity of computer systems, reliance on manual troubleshooting has been reduced significantly. In general, such troubleshooting has been largely replaced by diagnostic software. For example, diagnostic software is written to test the particular units of the system and indicate when such units are not being performed properly. In fact, families of diagnostic programs with error location abilities are normally used for carrying out the testing of even a single unit.
As system designs are upgraded and changed to correct design deficiencies, diagnosis of system errors becomes more difficult. Diagnosis is further complicated when different versions of the same unit are included within a system. For example, a single system may include several memory controllers, each of which may be of a different design or includes different capabilities.
Accordingly, different families of diagnostic programs have been created for testing each different version of controller design. Further, it became the task of the maintenance personnel to select among the families of diagnostic programs for carrying out the troubleshooting process. This can prove time consuming and result in increased system down time. Moreover, it may not be possible in some cases to determine the version of controllers located at a particular site due to board swaps and system upgrades.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus for facilitating the diagnosis of system errors.
When further changes or modifications are made to a controller design, normally a new family of diagnostic programs are created for accommodating the controller design. This, in turn, increases the complexity and amount of diagnostic software which must be available for system testing.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved controller apparatus for reducing the amount of time in diagnostic errors within a controller.